The truth about Easter

I scrambled the other day to go to the store and buy Easter items.  Like so many other parents, there I was at Target gathering the cute little knick-knacks and candy to fill our children's baskets.  Why?  Because we are so bombarded with commercial images of what Easter should look like.  The truth is none of that matters.  Easter is not about commercial items.  There is nothing wrong with Easter baskets.  It is a fun tradition and we do it in our family.  However, the focus of Easter should not be these material things.  I tell my girls that Easter is not about the baskets, it's about God's son, Jesus.  I tell them that Easter isn't about the Easter bunny --  the Easter bunny is only Jesus' helper, bringing us gifts so that we remember that Jesus gave his life for us and gave us the gift of eternal life.  I tell them, Easter is not about the fun egg hunts --  it is about searching our hearts and making room for Jesus, worshiping him and praising his name.

I look at the faces of my sweet children and I am overcome with love for them. Sure, they try my patience often, but this time I have with them is so fleeting. They grow up so fast. Already my baby is going to be 3 weeks old. My oldest is 5 years old. I want to enjoy this time with them but most of all I want to make this time with them count for something more. I want to make sure I equip them for the future not just in knowledge but in spiritual fortitude. Growing up I felt so lost and unloved and unappreciated. I did not know my Lord and Savior. I want to spare my children that heartache and darkness. I pray that they will know Jesus at a tender age. I want my children to grow up loving Him. I want them to understand the true meaning of Easter and that it is not just a holiday to be celebrated once a year.  Easter bunnies and egg hunts aside, what Jesus did for us on the cross and his resurrection should be celebrated each and every day. 

Given the birth of our new little princess I admit we have not done as much leading up to Easter as I had hoped or planned.  I had all these great ideas about teaching them valuable spiritual truths through fun exercises and activities (e.g., teaching about servant-hood by washing each other's feet on Maudy Thursday, etc.). . . Needless to say, most of these grand ideas did not happen.  At the very least we are reading them the Easter story and using Resurrection eggs to help tell the story.  You can also make your own and can find instructions on how to make them online.  I did this one year but have since misplaced them.  So this year we decided to just buy them at a local Christian book store.  The girls love to open up each egg and see the little "toys" inside that illustrate the events leading up to Christ's death and resurrection. We also enjoy making Resurrection rolls. Essentially this is just taking crescent rolls and putting a marshmallow inside each to represent Jesus (the rolls represent the tomb). After baking them, the marshmallow disappears and the kids are always amazed. We then talk about how Jesus disappeared from the tomb because he rose from the dead. 

Please don't let Easter pass without casting your eyes upon the cross and reflecting and accepting the gift that Jesus gave us on the cross.  In death he gave us life.  More than that, Easter is the day that Jesus rose conquering death.  Alive, He gives us hope and a relationship with a living savior.  Easter is a day for rejoicing!!!  He is risen! He will return to us again one day -- perhaps not in our lifetime, but maybe in the lifetime of our children or grandchildren.  Let's make sure to teach them the truth about Easter.